Apparatus for closing flexible bags



Jan. 6, 1959 J. D. PLATT ETAL 2,867,067 APPARATUS FOR CLOSING FLEXIBLEBAGS Filed March 13, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 COHN pLAi-g LsLA/vp Lip .477,C179.

LELAND .ZlfPLm-n Jan. 6, 1959 JQISLPLATT- EIAL 2,867,057

APPARATUS FOR CLOSING FLEXIBLE BAGS Filed March 13. 1957- 4 heets-Sheet3 Jan. 6, 1959 J. D. PLATT ETI'AL 7,

APPARATUS FOR CLOSING FLEXIBLE BAGS I Filed March 1:, 1957 4Sheets-Sheet 4 an Mnx QNQQ ma m w" J k m m m MM 2%. w nmfi. E NM Wm H meAM Z United States Patent C) i 2,867,067 APPARATUS For: CLOSING.FLEXIBLE B GS.

John D. Platt, Leland H. Platt, In, and Leland H. Flatt, Los-Angel'es,Calif.

Application March 13,, 195.7,, Serial No.: 645,737.-

' Claims. (Cl. 53-198) This invention relates to improved apparatus forclosing the necks of flexible bags, and then fastening them in closedcondition. The apparatus is in certain respects particularly adaptedfortaping closed the necks ofv flexible transparent plastic bags suchas arenow' commonly used in packaging fruits, vegetables, and many other itemssold in food markets and other types of stores.

In our copending application Serial No. 417,382 filed March 19, 1-954 onBag Closing Machine, now- U. S. Patent No. 2,840,967, We have discloseda machine for closing the necks. of a series of bags from an initiallyopen conditionto a closed condition, and then applying tape to thegathered necks to retain them closed. In that apparatus each neck wasgathered by passing the neck between a pair of opposed rollers or otheradvancing units, with thebag advancement being restricted so that thematerial of the neck accumulates or is gathered at a desired location.The tape was then applied to the gathered neck by bodily shifting therollers or advancing units relative to a pair of pressure elements,toforce the neckbetween these elements so that the tape was appliedthereby. This type of mechanism has proven extremely effective for veryrapidly closing and taping rathersmall bags, such as are used inpackaging candy and the like; However, the apparatus has not-been assatisfactory where larger bags were involved, for instance of the typeused in packaging potatoes, apples, oranges, etc.

A major object of the present invention is to provide a somewhat,different type of bag closing apparatus which is better adaptable to thehandling of larger bags, though it can also be usedfor smaller bagsifdesired. As in the prior application, this apparatus may include apair of advancing units (preferably rollers) having opposedsurfacesbetween which and by which a bag neck is advanced, together with a pairof pressure elements between which the closed neck is. then forced toapply tape to'theneck. One important difference between the presentapparatus and: that of the. prior application resides inthe manner in.which the-gathered neck is forced between the pressure elements. In thepresent apparatus, the-neck is not forced between these elements byshifting movement of the; rollers. themselves, but instead is forcedthrough by an. additional member, which may be hook shaped to receiveand act against theneck, and which is actuated relative to the rollersand the pressure elements to advance the neck after the gatheringoperation. This ad vancing element is desirably positioned in the pathof advancement of the bag neck being handled, and is adapted to belaterally deflected thereby. Upon such deflection, the. advancingelement acts to automatically commence a single cycle of' operationduring which the bag neck. is forced. between the pressure elements;

. An additional object of-theinvention isto-provid'e'apparatus of thediscussed typewhich does not have to itself include a specially builtconveyor, but may be used in conjunction with conventional conveyorsof'the type that are. normally already present in packaging plants; Thepresent apparatus is adjustable to work in conjunction;

, 2,867,067 Fatented Jan. 6, 1959 2 with different sizes of suchconveyors and with different sizes of bags. Specifically, the bagclosing mechanism may be mounted for adjusting movement both verticallyrelative to a support structure, and to different inclinations relativethereto.

The above and other features and objects of the present invention willbe better understood from the following detailed description of thetypical embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bag closing unit constructed inaccordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Fig. 1 device with the upper protectivecover removed to allow viewing of the inner working parts;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken. on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 55. of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section. taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the inner working parts atthe rear of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a diagram representing. the electrical. circuit of the controlparts of the apparatus; 7

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary explodedview of the movable pressure member andcutter element of the apparatus;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper neck portion ofone of the bags, as it appears after being closed by the presentapparatus;

Fig. 11' is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on line 1I11of Fig. 4', but showing. the rollers in elevation;

Fig; 12 is-a reduced size fragmentary plan view showing the manner inwhich the tape applying. parts can be shifted outwardly to-a retractedposition;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary section taken on line 13.-13 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view showing the apparatus as it appears at themoment that a bag neck has: been gathered'to closed condition, but'priorto the application of the holding tapes to the'neck.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is shown at 10 a ma chine constructedinaccordance with the-invention for closing the upper neck portions of aseries of flexible bags 11, and fastening the bags in those closedconditions by meansof pressure'sensitive'tapes 1'2; Theunit 10 isadapted to coact with. any of various conventional types of conveyor-13,capable ofholding a' series of the bags 1I in generally uprightcondition, andprogressively feeding those bags to the closing apparatus10. These bags 11 may'typicallycontain potatoes, oranges,,or' otheritems which are sold in bagged condition; Also, the bags 11 aretypically formed of a flexibleresinous plastic material, such aspolyethylene,

Thezconveyor 13 may be of the type havingtwoendless belts 14 and'15;thefirst of which extends generally horizontally but at a slightinclination, toreceive and support the bags-1 1. The second belt 15extends generally vertically but at such an inclination as to beperpendicular to the. first essentially horizontal belt I4, so

that the bag 11 may rest laterally against belt 15, andbe.

held in aslightly inclined position by belts;14sandf15. The belts 14 maybe supported bya series of rollers. 16, mounted by suitable mounting,plates 17 and 18;, andthe essentially verticalbelt 15. may rest againstthe similarly inclined plate 18'. These plates1'7 and 18-are;of coursesuitably mounted by leg structures 19. Thetwo belts-14 are driven bysuitable drive. wheels. or. rollers, typically represented at 20 and 21,and the belts ofcourse. are guided in conventional manner alongendlesspaths to continuously advance" the bags 11 that are received onthe conveyor structure 13 (the return runs of belts 14 and 15 not beingshown in the drawings).

The machines for fastening closed the upper neck portions 22 of bags 11includes a base structure 23, to which is adjustably mounted the upperclosing mechanism 24. This mechanism 24 includes two pairs ofneck-gathering rollers 25, 26, 27 and 28, which gather the neck from aninitially opened condition to a closed condition in front of a pair ofpressure members 29 and 30 (see Fig. 4). After the neck has beengathered to its closed condition, the closed neck is pulled through thespace between the two pressure members 29 and 30, so that the pressuresensitve tape 12 (from the supply rolls 31 and 32) is applied to theneck by pressure members 29 and 30, and the applied portions of thetapes are then cut off by a cutter element 33. .This then completes theclosing and fastening of one bag, with the only manual step being thatof initially feeding the leading portion of the open neck 22 into thespace between the two sets of rollers 25-through 28.

The base or supporting structure 23 is designed for adjustment indifferent manners, to allow use of the machine 10 in conjunction withany of various different types of conventional conveyors. For thispurpose, the basestructure 23 may include a pair of parallel horizontalfeet 34, which engage the supporting surface or'fioor 35, and areadapted to project under the conveyor structure 13. To these feet orangle irons 34, there is ad justably mounted a plate 36, which is planarexcept at its down turned edges 37. This plate 36 is pivotally mountedat 38 to a pair of projections 39 extending upwardly from elements 34respectively, so that plate 36 may swing upwardly and downwardlyrelative to elements 34 about a horizontal axis 40. The pivotalconnections 38 are located at a first edge of plate 36, while theopposite edge 41 of this plate is adapted to be releasably secured .inany of various differently inclined positions by means of a pair ofupstanding parallel members 42, containing slots 43 receivingscrews 44which are threadedly connected into the down turned sides 37 of plate36. The lower ends of parts 42 are pivotally attached to the flanges ofparts 34 by pins or screws 45. As will be apparent, plate 36 may beswung upwardly and downwardly to a desired inclination relative to thehorizontal supporting surface 35, following which screws 44 may betightened against parts 42 to releasably secure plate 36 in the desiredset position.

The base structure also includes a cylindrical mounting column 46 whichprojects upw rdly from plate 36 perpendicular thereto, and is rigidlyattached to and carried by plate 36. The upper neck closing mechanism 24is mounted to column 46 for adjusting movement upwardly and downwardly,that is, axially of the column. For this purpose, mechanism 24 includesa rigid frame stnlcture, having a part 47 with a tubular portion 48received about and slidable axially along column 46 '(see Fig. 2). Tohold part 48 against rotary movement about column 46, the column rigidlycarries a laterally projecting and axially extending key 49 which fitswithin a key way 50 in part 48. A set screw 51 is threaded into part 48and is tightenable against key 49 by handle 52 to rigidly secure member48 in a fixed adjusted posi tion relative to column 46.

The member 48 and the rest of mechanism 24 is adjustable axially ofcolumn 46 by means of a lead screw 53, having an upper actuating handle54. An unthreaded portion of this lead screw 53 is journaled within abearing 55 attached to the upper end of column .46, and is retained bythat bearing against movement axially of column 46, while of coursepermitting rotation of screw 53 within the hearing. The lower end ofscrew 53 extends through and threadedly engages a threaded bore 56within a laterally projecting lug 57 on part 48, so that rotation ofscrew 53 by handle 54 will axially or vertically adjust member 48 andthe carried mechanism relative to column 46.

In addition to the part 48, the rigid frame structure of mechanism 24includes an elongated frame part 58, which is rigidly attached to part48 by screws 59 (see Fig. 2), and which projects transversely of thedirec tion of advancement of conveyor 13 and across theupper side of theconveyor, and which is parallel to base: plate 36. This member 58 inturn carries most of the moving parts of the apparatus. Also, at itsouter end, part 58 rigidly carries another frame member 60, having avertically extending portion 61 to which the driving: motor 62 of theapparatus is attached,'and having a pair of parallel in-turned flanges63. The motor 62 may be rigidly attached to part in any suitable manner,as by a number of adjustable securing screws 64. The shaft 65 of motor62 turns about an axis 66 which is parallel to the axis of mountingcolumn 46.

The rollers 25 and 26 are rotatively mounted in fixed positions relativeto frame member 58, While rollers 27 and 28 are mounted for swingingmovement relative tomember 58 and laterally toward and away from each'other during the gathering of a bag neck. More specifically, the tworollers 25 and 26 are, mounted. to a: pair of upperand lower spacedparallel mounting arms 67 and 68 (see Figs. 2 and 3) which are rigidlyattached to member 58. The two rollers 25 and 26 are rotatably mountedbetween the forward end portions of these two arms 67 and 68, and forrotation about a generally vertical axis 69 which is parallel to axis 66of the motor. Such mounting of the rollers or wheels 25 and 26 iseffected by means of a suitable shaft 70 which is secured by screws 71and 72 to the arms 67 and 68, and about which the hub portions of therollers 25 and 26 are rotatable. These hub portions of the two rollersmay be rigidly connected together and to the hub of a sprocket wheel 73which is also rotatably mounted about shaft 70 so that power drivenrotation of the sprocket wheel by the motor 62 through alater-to-be-described drive system will cause wheels 25 and 26 to becorrespondingly rotatably driven, to advance and gather the neck portionof a bag.

The rear end portions of the two mounting arms 67 and 68 may be weldedor otherwise rigidly secured to a tubular bushing element 74, which isrigidly welded to frame member 58. A shaft 75 is rotatably journalledwithin bushing element 74, with the latter being designed to function asa thrust bearing for supporting shaft 75 against downward movementrelative to member 58. The axis 78 of shaft 75 and bushing 74 extendsparallel to axes 66 and 69.

To now describe the manner in which motor 62 drives the wheels orrollers 25 and 26, it is noted that the driven shaft 65 of the motorcarries and drives a pulley 79, which in turn drives a belt 80, drivinga pulley 81. This pulley 81 is mounted to part 58 for rotation about anaxis 82 which is parallel to axis 66. Also, pulley 81 rigidly carriesand drives a gear 83, which engages and drives a larger gear 84 mountedto and rotatably keyed with respect to the upper end of the previouslymentioned shaft 75. Thus, rotation of gear 84 acts to correspondinglyturn shaft 75 which then drives a sprocket wheel 85 rigidly carried bythe lower end of the shaft 75. -Wheel 85 in turn drives a chain 86,which may pass an idler gear 87 and then engage and drive a sprocketwheel 88 which is rigidly attached to a shaft 89 journalled by bearings90 mounted to arms 67 and 68. These bearings 90 mount shaft 89 forrotation about an axis 91 which extends parallel to axis 66 and theother previously mentioned axes. Above arm 68, shaft 89 rigidly carriesa sprocket wheel 92, which drives a chain 93, which in turn engages anddrives the previously mentioned sprocket wheel 73 which is rigidlyattached to and drives rollers 25 and 26. The described drive mechanismacts to rotatively and continuously drive wheels 25 and 26 in; a.direction for advancing a. bag; betweenthese wheels and. the opposedwheels 27 and 28.

The second pair of rollers 27 and 28 are mounted for swinging movementby a pair of arms 94 and 95, which are similar to arms 67 and 68 exceptthat arms 94 and 95 carry the two associated rollers separately, and arefree for individual swingingmovement independently of each other. Toallow such relative swinging movement of these two arms, the arms aremounted by a tubular bushing element 96 (see Fig. 6 in a mannerpermitting independent rotary movement of the; two arms relative to.that bushing. This. bushing; has a transverse flange 97 which. isconnected. by screws 98 to the underside of element 58,. with an upperportion of tubular bushing 96 projecting upwardly through anopening inpart 58. Beneath part 58, the bushing 96 has rotatably received about ita tubular outer bushing element 99, which extends. through an opening inarm 94 and is rigidly welded or otherwise secured to that arm. Rotatablyjournaled within tubular bushing 96, there is a vertical shaft 100,which is rigidly attached at its lower end to the lower arm 95, andwhich carries a washer or flange element 101 at its, upper end forengaging downwardly against the upper end of bushing element 96, tofunction as a thrust element for holding shaft 100 against downwardmovement from the illustrated Fig. 6 position. As will be apparent, eachof the hearing elements 99 and 100, associated with the two arms. 94 and95 respectively, is independently rotatively movable. about an axis 102(parallel to axis 66 and the other axes) relative to bushing 96 andtherefore the frame part 58.

Referring now to Fig. 11, roller 27 is rotatably mounted to theundersideof arm 94 by means of a suitable bearing structure typically representedat 103.. Similarly, the

roller 28 is rotatably mounted to the upper side of the lower arm 95, bymeans; of a bearing structure typically represented at 104. Thesebearing structures 103 and 104 are spaced apart axially to avoid anyinterference with the relative lateral deflection of one of the wheels27 or 28 without. the other. Also, the two bearing structures 103 and104 of course mount wheels 27 and 28 for rotation relative to theassociated arms 94 and 95 respectively about a pair of axes 105 and 106which extend parallel to the common axis 69 of the two other rollers 25and 26. The two axes 105 and 106 may at times coincide.

The two upper arms 67 and 95 are yieldingly urged relatively together bymeans of a tensioned coil spring 107 (see Fig. 2) connected at itsopposite ends to the two arms respectively, while the two lower arms 68and 95 are similarly yieldingly urged relatively together by means of asecond tensioned coil spring 108 connected at its opposite ends to thesearms. Springs 107 and 108 normally hold rollers 27 tightly in engagementwith roller 25, and hold roller 28 tightly in engagement with roller 26.The peripheral surface of each of the rollers 27 and 28 may form anannular radially outwardly facing peripheral groove 109, of V-shapedcross-sectional configuration, and the peripheral surfaces of the tworollers 25 and 26 may form annular radially outwardly directedprojections 110 of corresponding V-shaped cross-section, and adapted tonest within recesses 109 when there is no bag received between therollers. When, however, the neck portion 22 of one of the bags isreceived between the two sets of rollers, as seen in Fig. 11, the bagmaterial deflects the two rollers 27 and 28 laterally away from rollers25 and 26, to pass the neck between the rollers.

Each of the upper arms 67 and 94 may carry a shield 111, which extendsacross the upper side of the associated roller 25 or 27, and which has aperipheral essentally annular flange 112 extending downwardly about theoutside of the roller 25 or 27, to prevent direct contact of anoperators hands with these rollers. The shields 111 are interrupted atthe point of engagement of roller 25 with roller 27, to. form st. arelatively narrow gap 113 through which the. bag neck initially passes,and; to form beyond gap 113 a wider gap 114 within which the neck isreceived after it has. been gathered to a completely closed position.Beyond gap 114, the shields 1111 are interrupted in a manner forming aneven greater width gap 115, within which there is received a part 116which will be described in greater detail at a later point. The rollers25 through 28 are desirably formed of a suitable steel or other metal. a

When the leading portion of the. neck. of one of the bags 11 is manuallyfed to a point, of contact. at 117 with the two opposed sets of rollers25-27 and 26'28, these rapidly moving rollers act to. quickly advancethe entire bag neck to the right as seen in Fig. 14, until the entireneck has been gathered. to the closed condition illustrated in fulllines in that. figure. In order to assure such gathering action, the twopreviously mentioned pressure members 29 and 30 are positioned at alocation to temporarily halt the rightward advancement of the materialof the bag neck, so that this material accumulatesor is gathered to theFig. 14 condition ahead of the blocking elements 29 and 30. In moving toits full line position of Fig. 14, the bag neck engages a pair ofangular cam surfaces 118. formed at the forward ends of two spacedparallel arms 119 of hook unit 120, and by such engagement acts todeflect unit 120 laterally of the path of bag movement, and out ofthat'path until theentire bag neck has moved to the full line Fig. 14position. When the neck is in that position, the hook unit 120v is freeto return laterally to its normal Fig/14 full line position, so that thehook 120 may thenbe actuated in the direction of bag advancement, toforce the bag through the space between pressure elements 29 and 30, toapply the tapes to the bag. Hook unit 120 inncludes a main elongatedrigid member 121, to the upper and lower sides of which the two arms 119may be rigidly attached by screws 122 (see Fig. 4). The part 120terminates at 123, with the two arms 119 projecting beyond that pointand laterally inwardly at an angle, to a position of reception betweenthe upper rollers 25 and 27 and the lower rollers 26 and 28 (see Fig.11). The two arms 119 may be formed of planar sheet metal, with one ofthe arms 119 being received in close proximity to and essentiallyparallel to the flat undersurfaces 124 of rollers 25 and 27, and withthe other arm 119 being received in closely spaced relation to andessentially parallel to the upper planar surfaces 125 of rollers 26 and28. The parts 119 and surfaces 124 and 125 all preferably extenddirectly radially of the roller axes 69, 105 and 106.

The two arms 119 of hook unit 120 are identically shaped, and havenotches "119a facing in the direction of bag advancement and adapted toreceive and advance the bag necks. Hook unit 120 is mounted for itsdesired two types of movement by means of an arm 126 (Fig. 2), which ismounted by a bearing structure 127 to part 60 for swinging movementabout an axis 128 extendingparallel to axis 66. This arm 126 projectsinwardly toward the path of the bags, and carries at its inner end ashaft 129, which is journaled within a bushing 130 projecting upwardlyfrom arm 126. This shaft 129 turns about an axis which is parallel toaxis 66, and carries at its lower end the part 121 of hook unit 120, tothus allow swinging movement of the hook unit relative to arm 126 as theforward end of the hook unit is deflected laterally by engagement withan advancing bag neck. A coil spring 131 disposed about shaft 129, andconnected at its opposite ends to member 121 and member 126respectively, yieldingly urges hook unit 120 in a direction causing theforward ends 119 of that hook unit, to move laterally to their Fig. 14full line positions of extension across the path of bag movement. Thus,this spring always tends to return the hook unit 120 to this full lineFig. 14 normal position. i m

After the bag neck has been gathered in the Fig. 14 full line positionin front of pressure members 29 and 30, and after hook unit 120 hasreturned to its full line position of that figure from the laterallydeflected broken line position, the hook is then bodily advanced to the'right as seen in Fig. 14, to the dotted line position of that figure toapply the tapes to the bag neck. This bodily advancement of the hookunit 120 is effected by swinging arm 126 about axis 128 by rightwardmovement of a connecting rod 132, which is pivotally attached at one end133 to member 126, and which is pivotally attached at its other end 134to an essentially semi- .circular member 135 which is mounted by atubular bushing structure' 136 for rotation relative to frame 58 aboutan axis 237 which extends parallel to axis 66. For thus mounting part135, this part is rigidly attached to a shaft 137, which extends throughbushing structure 136, with the latter being rigidly attached to a rearextension 138 of frame member 58. The pivotal connection 134 betweenconnecting rod 132 and member 135 is at a location which is offseteccentrically with respect to the axis 237, so that member 135 functionsas a crank element acting to' move hook unit 120 first to the right andthen back to. the left in response to a single revolution of member135about axis 137. The bearing structure 136 may be of a type forsupporting shaft 137 in a fixed axial position relative to the bearingstructure and portion 138 of member 58.

Each time that a bag is fed into the roller mechanism, the crank member135 and hook unit 120 are driven through a single cycle of operation bymotor driven gear 84, through a single cycle or single revolution clutchmechanism 139 (see Figs. 3 and 7). This clutch mechanism; includes agear 140 which is rotatably mounted about an upper reduced diameterportion 141 of shaft 137, and which meshes with and is continuouslydriven by gear 84. When the clutch mechanism is disengaged, gear 140turns continuously, while the shaft 141 does not turn, with the gear 140being supported axially on the shaft by engagement with anannularshoulder 142 extending betweenthe reduced diameter portion 141 and theincreased diameter portion of the shaft. To clutch the shaft 137 to gear140 for a single revolution, there is provided a clutch member 143,which is rotatably keyed to shaft 137 by reception of the inner endportion of element 143 within a slot 144 in the shaft. Part 143 ispivoted to shaft 137 by means of a pin 145 for swinging movementvertically between the full line retracted position of Fig. 3 and thebroken line active position of that figure. In the raised active brokenline position, element 143 is located in the path of rotary movement ofthree different pins 146 which are rigidly carried by and projectdownwardly from gear 140 at circularly spaced locations. When element143 is in that raised position, the first pin 146 which engages it iseffective to move element 143 and thus shaft 137 through one circularrevolution, following which the part 143 is automatically retracted toits full line Fig. 3 position until the next successive actuation. Part143 is yieldingly urged to its broken line position by means of a coilspring 147, which is disposed about shaft 137 and bears downwardlyagainst the upper end of bushing structure 136. The upper end of spring147 is connected into element 143 at a location 143 which is offsetradially outwardly from pin 145 in a direction toward the part ofelement 143 which engages pins 146.

For automatically retracting element 143 downwardly after a singlerevolution of shaft 137, there is provided a retracting element 149 (seeFigs. 3 and 7), which has an. arcuate endportion 150 presenting an undersurface 151 extending ar cuately about axis 237 and progressivelyadvancing downwardly from an end 152 to an end 153 of this surface.Member 143 rotatably carries a roller 154 at its outer end, which rolleris adapted to be engaged by cam surface 151 and to be progressivelydeflected or cammed downwardly thereby as member 143 turns, to thus cammember 143 from its broken line active position to its full lineretracted position of Fig. 3 as roller 154 advances between points 152and 153 on cam surface 151. At the end of cam surface 151, member 149has a downwardly projecting lug 155 forming a vertical shoulder 156which is engageable with roller 154 to limit the swinging movement ofthat roller and member 143 about axis 237 at the point of engagement ofroller 154 with shoulder 156.

To initiate a single revolution of shaft 137, member 149 is mounted toswing to the broken line retracted position of Fig. 2, in which shoulder156 is no longer positioned in the path of roller 154, so that thelatter and the associated member 143 may commence a revolution. Themember 149 is mounted for this limited swinging movement by. means of abearing structure 157, which is mounted'to-the upper side of a framemember 158 which is-rigidly attached to frame element 58. The member 150is yieldingly urged to its full line active position of Fig. 2 by meansof a coil spring 159 which extends about the bearing structure, and hasits opposite ends connected to or hearing against members 149 and 158respectively. The swinging movement of member 149 under the influence ofspring 159 is limited at the full line position of Fig. 2 by engagementof member 149 with a stop member 160' projecting upwardly from element158. Part 149 is adapted to be actuated from its full line position ofFig. 2 to its broken line retracted position by energization of acontrol solenoid 161 (see Figs. 3 and 7), which is mounted to framemember 158, and has amovable plunger or armature 162 engaging and actingagainst member 149 through a pin and slot connection 163.

When the roller 154 is in engagement with stop shoulder 156, the crank135 and the hook unit 120 controlled by the crank are inthe Fig.4positions. One revolution of crank element 135 is then effective to ad-Vance hook unit and a carried gathered bag neck to the right, and thenreturn the hook unit back to the left to its Fig. 4 position inpreparation for the next cycle of operation. In the Fig. 4 position,hook unit 120 is free for lateral deflection to the broken line positionof Fig. 14, but as soon as the hook unit 120 commences its rightwardmovements, the hook is then restrained against such lateral deflectionuntil it returns to the Fig. 4 position. For this purpose, member 121 ofthe hook unit has a laterally projecting lug 164, which rotatablycarries a downwardly projected roller 165, which roller is receivablewithin. a guide way or roller track 166 formed in a guide member 167. Atthe position of Fig. 4, roller 165 is received opposite an open portionof the guide way, which permits lateral deflection of the roller and ofunit 120. As soon as the roller moves a short distance to the right, itpasses into the restricted guide way 166 so thatv shoulder 168 acts toprevent lateral movement of the roller and thus lateral deflection ofthe unit 120. Therefore, the guide way 166 functions to effectivelyguide element 120 as it forces the bag neck through the space betweenpressure elements 29 and 30.

The commencement of the rightward movement of hook unit 120 iscontrolled by the lateral deflection of unit 120, through actuation of amicroswitch unit 169 (see Fig. 4), having an actuating pin 170 engagedby the rear end portion 171 of hook unit 120. This microswitch 169 is adouble switch, including a first switch 172 which is normally open (inthe full line Fig. 4 position of unit 120), and which is adapted toclose upon swinging movement of unit 120 to its broken line position ofFig. 14. The second switch 173 of switch unit 169 is normally closed (inthe full line position of Fig. 14), and is opened in the broken lineposition of that figure. In order to close the circuit to solenoid 161for commencing a rightward actuation of unit 120,

it is necessary for switch. 172 ,t 0,,.fi rst be"close,d,-- and then forswitch-173 to be closed The closure, of; switch 172closes a circuit to asecond solenoid, 174"fr'om the two 110 volt A. C; power leadsf175. Thiscircuit extendsfrom one of the leads 175 through a main manuallyactuatedswitch 176; (see Figs. 2 and 8), from which the circuit extendsthrough a safety cut out switch 177 (later to be discussed'),yand thenthrough a lead 178 to one SldCj of switch 172; From the other side oftheswitch 172, the circuit for energizing-a solenoid 174 follows a line 179to solenoid 174, and then lines 180 and 181 back to the second of thepower leads 175. When solenoid 174is thus energized-by closure of switch172 (assuming switches 176 and 177 to be CloSed),.the armature 182 ofsolenoid 174 moved to the left as seen in Fig. 8, to actuate a switch183 to closed condi tion. The armature is retained temporarily in thatposi-' tion, even after breaking of the energizing circuit, by means ofa latch element 184' (Fig. 2), which is pivotally mounted at 185 to amember 186 attached rigidly to element'58. This latch element 184rotatably carries a roller 187, which is movable slightly into thepathof plunger 182 by clockwise-movement of element 184,

and under the influence of' alcoil spring 188; when" plunger 182moves tothe left (in Fig; 2) to a position allowing such clockwise movement ofelement 184a'nd the roller to the broken line position of Fig. 2. Themovement of member 184 is limited at this position'by engagement with astop pin 190. I

The switch 183 which is closed by actuation of solenoid 174 is connectedinto a series circuit which leads from the two power lines 175, andwhich series circuit includes switch 176, switch 177, line 191, switch173, line 192, switch 183,- lines 193, solenoid 161, and lines 194,"181, and the return line 175. Thus, closure of switch173 upon return'ofunit 120 after a deflectiomand with switch 183 held closed, functions toenergize solenoid 161' to actuate arm 149'and commence asingle cycle' ofright ward and then leftward movement of unit 120'. During that cycle ofmovement, the solenoid'161 is automatically de-energized by release.of-latch element 184. Specifical-' 1y, this release ofthelatchelementiseffected'by means of an axially movable elongated rod'400, whoseupturned end portion 401 is'pivotally attached at 402 to latch 184. Asmember 126 swings'to the right in Figs. 2-a'nd 3, after closure of bothof the switches 172 and 173, and resultant energization of solenoid 161,and after roller 153 has been freed by the solenoid actuated part 149 tocommence a single revolution. of arm 143 about axis 237,

member 126 then acts to engage a downturned portion 403 of rod 400, todefiect this rod to the right as seen in'Figs. 2 and 3, and to thus'swing latch 184 to a released position. That is, rod 400 swings element184 to its Fig.

2 released position, against the influence of spring 188, to allowreturning movement of the armature 182 associated with solenoid'174.

The pressure members 29' and 30, as well as the two rolls of tape 31,are carried by'a'rigid member 198 (Figs.- 2 and 3) which extendstransversely of the path of bag movement and at a location above the twoarms 67 and 94. Member 198 is mounted for bodily shifting movement, withthe carried parts, by means of a pair of'par allel spaced rods 199,which are slidably confined within correspondingly dimensioned parallelspacedbores 200' in a block 201 which is attached to the upper side ofmember 58. The rods 199 mount member 198 for movement exactly parallelto the direction of advancement of the bags along conveyor 13, withmember 198 being mov able between the active position of Fig. 2, andthe' retracted or inactive position of Fig. 12. In the Fig. 12 position,the sliding movement of members 199 is limited by engagement of anenlarged diameter stop element 202 with the rear face of mounting block201. Member 198 is manually actuated between its two difierent posi- 10tions-vby means-ofya circular pullring orhandle member 203'attach'edtothe forward sideof member 198- androf a' size to receivean operatorsfinger.

,The two pressure members 29 and are elongated in the directionofflbagmovement, and have enlarged'for ward head portionsg204- (see Fig.4), which head portions; have a pair. of opposed surfaces-205 whichprogress ively converge toward oneanother in the direction of bagmovement; and which then curve into parallelismat' 206. The two tapes1'2"from supply rolls 31 curvealong the inner sides of the surfaces-205,and then-extend parallel to each otherand in direct abuttingengagement'atthe portions 206 of the pressure member surfaces. Tapes 12 are both'desirably of the pressure sensitive type, having adhesive applied totheir inner 0r mutually interen gaging surfaces, so'that when the tapesare pressed together by members 29 and 30, or are pressed against thematerial of a bag neck-, the adhesive will. hold the tapes together atopposite sides of the; neck and will hold the tape tightly to the bagmaterial. The tapesfrom rolls pass about-a pair of guide rollers 207,mounted to support members- 208 which are rigidlyattached to arms 57 and94. Frofnthese rollers 207, the tapes may normally converge in thedirection of bag movement, and as the tapes reach the locations ofelements 29 and 30, the tapes may pass through guide channels formed bythe forward faces of these members 29 and 30 and a pair ofguide'elements 208 which are rigidly attached to members 29 and30respectively (see Figs. 4 and 9). The two tape rolls 31 may be mountedfor rotation about a pair of spaced axes extending parallel to axis 66,the mounting being effected by any suitable type of rollmounting supportstructure 209, which is desirably rigidly secured to member 198 bysuitable connections repre- :sented at 210.

The pressure member 29 is mounted in fixed relationtomernber 198, as byhaving an upturned rear end' por tion 211 (Fig. 3) attached by a screw211a to member 198. The other pressure member 30 is'mounted for swingingmovement toward and away from member 29. To thus mount member 30, thismember has an enlarged rear portion 212 (Figs. 4 and 9), which containsa vertically extending bore 213 through which a shaft 214 ex tends. Thisshaft 214 extends through and is journalled by a tubular bushing 215which is rigidly carried by and extends through an opening in part 198,so that shaft 214 is rotatable about an axis parallel to axis 66.Merriber 30 is thus mounted for swinging movement about the axis ofshaft 214, and relative to that shaft. Such swing- 'ing movement allowsthe forward end portion 204 of member 30 to move toward and away fromthe corresponding enlarged forward portion of member 29. A tensionedcoil spring 216 is connected at its opposite ends to a rear portion ofmember 30 and an element 217 at tached to part 198, to thus yieldinglyurge the portion 204 of member 30 toward the corresponding portion ofmember 29.

After a .bag neck has passed between the two pressure members 29 and 30,and has reached the point 22a "in Fig. 4, so that the pressure membershave had an oppor' tunity to return together and press a substantiallength of the tapes into interengagen'ient behind the bag neck, thecutter element 33 is then automatically actuated to cut off the portionsof the tape that have been applied to the bag neck, leaving the neck inthe condition of Fig. 10 'with the two tapes forming a closure about theneck and :s'eeured together at opposite sides of the neck. This cutterelement 33 is a short blade, which extends trans- 'versely of the pathof bag movement, and is slidable trans vers'ely along rear transversefaces 218 of parts 29 and 30, to cut off the tapes. Cutter 33 may beformedof a somewhat resilient metal, adapted to remain by its resiliencyin tight engagement with faces 218. The cutter is :attached to a forwardend of a swinging arm 21,9,

which is attached to shaft 214 for actuation thereby. Specifically,shaft 214 has a lower end portion which projects downwardly into acutaway or recessed side portion 220 of part 212 (see Fig. 9), and whichis attached at one side to an enlargement 221 on arm 219. To eifect thisattachment, a screw 222 extends through an opening in enlargement221,and threadedly connects into shaft 214. The arm 219 and shaft 214 arefree for very limited swinging movement relative to member 30, whichmovement is just suflicient to actuate cutter 33 across faces 218 foreffecting a tape cutting operation. This swinging movement is limited byengagement ofa pair of vertical surfaces 224 on enlargement 221 withco-acting vertical surfaces 225 formed on enlargement 212 of pressuremember 30. The arm 219 is normally yieldingly urged to the Fig. 4position relative to member 30 by means of a coil spring 226 which iscontained within a pair of aligned bores 227 in enlargements 212 and 221respectively, and bears at one end against an end of the bore inenlargement 221, and at the other end against a screw 228.which isthreadedly and adjustably connected into a plate 229 attached toenlargement 212 by means of a screw 230.

For actuating the cutter arm 219 relative to pressure member 30, thereis rigidly attached to the upper end of shaft 214, as by an adjustableco-nnection'represented at 231 in Fig. 9, an arm 232 which extendsrearwardly to a location (see Fig. 7) at which the arm 232 is engageableby a cam roller 196 carried at an eccentric location by a cam arm 195rigidly attached to the upper end of shaft 137141. This roller 196 thusdeflects arm 232 to actuate cutter 33 in a cutting operation at a propertime during each taping cycle. The switch 177 which has been referred topreviously in connection with a discussion of the Fig. 8 circuit diagramis a safety switch for preventing' actuation of the apparatus when thepressure members 29 and 30 and the associated parts 198 etc. are in theretracted positions of Fig. 12. Specifically, this switch 177 is mountedto the upper side of member 201, and has its movable actuating elementpositioned to be engaged and actuated in a circuit closing direction bya member 233 rigidly attached to one of the slide rods 199, when thatrod and part 198 and the other associated parts are in the Fig. 2position. When these parts are moved to the Fig. 12 retracted position,switch 177 is open, to break the energizing circuit to motor 62 and allof the other electrically actuated parts. The reason for mounting part198 etc. to slide to the Fig. 12 position is to allow for positioning ofthe pressure members and tape feeding parts at a location (Fig. 12) inwhich the tapes can be manually threaded into the space between thepressure members without interference from rollers 25-28 and hook 120.Switch 177 positively prevents injury to the operator by accidentalstarting of the apparatus during such a threading operation.

As a bag neck is being pulled by book unit 120 through the tape applyingspace between the two pressure members 29 and 30, the upper portion ofthe bag neck above the pressure members is confined within a relativelynarrow constricted space between the upper transverse and aligned planarsurfaces 234 (Fig. 13) of rollers 25 and 27 and the parallel undersurface of flat member 116 which overlies rollers 25 and 27. This spacebetween the rollers and member 116 is of a vertical width justsufficient to pass the material of the bag above its gathered neck,while resisting passage of that material in a manner folding it back toan essentially horizontally extending condition such that the retentionof the turned upper portion of the bag neck between member 116 and therollers assists in effectively supporting the bag during its passagebetween the pressure members. After the bag neck has passed beyond thetape applying portions of the pressure members 29 and 30, the member 116is automatically swung upwardly to aretracted position in which it freesthe bags for unrestrained advancement with the 12 conveyor. For thispurpose, member 116 is attached at one edge by screws 238 to anelongated shaft or rod 239 which is journaled by bearings 240 attachedto arm 94 for rotary movement about the longitudinal axis of rod 239. Atits rear end, this rod 239 rigidly carries a laterally projecting arm241 rotatably carrying a roller 242, which is adapted to be deflectedupwardly by the previously discussed part 135 once during each rotationof that part. Specifically, the semi circular part 135 has a pair ofinclined cam faces 243 which extend at an angle to advance axially withrespect to part 135 as they advance circularly, so that when one ofthese surfaces 243 engages roller 242 it deflects the roller upwardlyuntil the other surface 243 is reached, to allow the roller to againfall downwardly until the next actuation. This camming operation isproperly timed to swing member 116 upwardly to the broken line positionof Fig. 13 after a bag neck has moved beyond the tape applying portionsof the pressure members 29 and 30, and to then return member 116downwardly before the next successive bag neck reaches the forward edgeof that member. Red 239 is normally yieldingly urged in a direction formoving arm 241 downwardly, by means of a coil spring 244 (Figs. 4 and 6)which is attached at one end 245 to member 58, and at the other end toan arm 246 which is rigidly attached to shaft 239. Such swingingmovement under the influence of spring 244 is limited at the Fig. 7position of arm 241 by any suitable stop element, as by a member 247(Fig. 6) which is engageable with a coacting stop surface on arm 94. Inthe position at which this element stops the rotation of rod 239,element 116 of course is positioned as shown in full lines in Fig. 13.

To now describe the operation of the apparatus, the first step insetting up the apparatus is of course to properly position the unit 10with respect to conveyor 13. As previously discussed, the plate 236 isadjusted to a proper inclination such that column 46 extends parallel toinclined conveyor belt 15, and screw 53 is then adjusted by handle 54'to adjust the tape applying mechanism 24 vertically along column 46 to aproper level for engaging and applying tape to the neck portions 22 ofthe bags 11 which move along conveyor 13. When screw 53 has been set toa proper position, mechanism 24 may be secured in that adjusted positionby the tightening of screw 51 (Fig. 2). With the apparatus properlylocated, conveyor 13 is then set in motion by energizing the motordriving rollers 20 and 21, and the main switch 176 (Fig. 8) is closed tostart motor 62 and-to energize the rest of the electrical apparatus.

As each bag 11 nears the apparatus 24, the operator makes sure that thecontents of the bag are properly positioned, and then manually feeds theleading edge of thebag neck into the space between the two rollers 25and 26 and the two opposed rollers 27 and 28. Immediately these rapidlyturning rollers act to advance the bag neck forwardly between therollers to the full line position of Fig. 14, to gather the neck infront of pressure members 29 and 30. The springs 107 and 108 allowrelative separation of the rollers to pass the bag material, while atall times causing the rollers to bear tightly against and thus properlyconfine and hold the bag material.

The book unit is deflected laterally as the bag material passes towardthe Fig. 14full line position, and the hook unit then returns to itsfull line position of that figure after the bag has moved far enough toallow such return The lateral deflecting movement closes switch 172 toenergize solenoid 174 and thus close switch 183 (which is then held,closed by latch 184). The returning movement of hook unit 120 closesswitch 173, which is in series with-switch 133, to energize solenoid 161for swingingarm 149 to its released broken line position of Fig 2, andthus allow arm 143 to swing upwardly to be engaged and turned throughone revolution by one of the pins 146. Such turning of arm 143correspondingly 13 turns shaft 137 and member 135, to cause crank rod132 to'm'ove hook unit 120 and the contained bagneck 122 to the right asseen in Figs. 2 and 14, following which the hook unit returns toward theleft. This actuation of the hook unit forces the bag neck through thespace between pressure members 2a and 30, and the associated tapes,so-that the tapes are caused to extend about and tightly hold the bagneck. Being pressure sensitive, the

tapes readily adhere to the bag'material and to each other, as desired;During the bag movement, the pressure member 30 is of course yieldinglyurged toward pressure member 29, to apply the tapes, by spring 216. Asmem ber 30is deflected away from member 29 by the passing bag. material,cutter unit 219-33 moves laterally with member 30', being held" byspring 226 in the Fig. 4 posi tion' relative to member 302' I b When thebag'neck reaches the position 22a of Fig. 4, cam roller 196 engagesand'deflects arm 232 to move cutter 33 laterally through tapes 12, andcut otf the short applied portions of the tapes as seen in Fig. 10.About this time; member 135 engages and deflects" roller 242', to swing,element 116 upwardly to the brokenline pos t tion of Fig. 13 and thusfree the bag neck for entirelyun' restrainedadvancement. Until thattime, the upperpor f tion of the bag neck is confined between member1136 and the upper sides of rollers 25 and 27, as previously discussed.The formation of the rollers to' have iuterfitting peripheral recessesand projections (Fig; 11 assists the" rollers in properly supporting'theengaged bag necks.

Before one revolution of shaft 137 h'as1 been completed, rod 400' isdeflected by element 126m a" manner actuating latch 184 to or beyond itsFig. 2 position, to thereby allow solenoid armature 182 to be springurged to its Fig; 2 position in which switch 183" is opened tode-energize solenoid 161'. This allows arm'149 to return to its fulllineFig. 2 position in which its cam surface 152'1is able to engage anddeflect downwardly the roller 1 53as the singlerevolution' of'sh'aftll37is completed. Thisswi'ngs arm 1'43 out ofthe path of pins 146, sothatj'the turning movement" of shaft 137 and the associated parts stopsuntil'thenext bag is fed to the rollers. I

If it is'desired to allow the roller 153 and the variousparts'controlled thereby to move through a cycle" ofopf' erati'onwithout passing a bag through the apparatus thi's may-be effected bymanually actuating armature 162'of solenoid 161, the armature beingvactuated by pressin'gl i nwardlyon a connected push rod 500' (see Fig.7). This manually swings part 149 to its released position to thus freeroller 153 for one cycle'of operation.

1; Apparatus for closing the neck of aj flexible bag comprising a pairofpressure elements between which'a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to'apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag. neck and "to advance the material thereofbetween the rollers and toward said pressureelements so that theneck isgatheredto closed condition in front of the pressure elements, means fordriving at leastone of said rollers to advance and gatherthe bag neck,means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an. advancing membermovable relative to said rollersand' said pressure elements and operableto engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers and to force theneck" between said pressure elements to apply the-tape thereto, meansfor actuating said advancing'mem'ber at least one of said pressureelements being free for lateral deflection awayfrom the other pressureelement by said bagv neck as'it is forced between said pressure elementsby said advancing member, and means yieldingly resisting said deflectionof said one pressure element by' the advancing bag neck and therebytightly pressing said tapeinto fastening relation with the bag neck.

2. Apparatus as recitedin claim'l in which said advancing member has ahookshaped portion which receives- 14 and engages said neck and forcesit between said pressure element's; z j p 3. Apparatus" as recited iriclaim I in which said an v'ancing member is positioned'in' the path ofadvancementof a bag neck and is defle'ctible laterally by the bagneck,said actuating means including'meaas operable iii response to saidlateral deflection of the advancing memher to move said advancing membera direction forforcing the gathered neck between said pressure elements.

4. Apparatus as recited'in claim 3" including asp ring urging 's'aid'advancing member into' the' path" of said neck and resisting saidlateral deflection of the advancing member" by the neck.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 including a carrier part to whichsaid advancing member is mounted and movable with the" advancing memberin a direction to force the neck between the pressure elements, and aconnection pivotally mounting said advancing" meinbe'n to saidcarrie'rpar't for relative lateral deflection into and out off the pathof said neck, said advancingmember being defl'ectible out of said pathby anadvancing bag' neck, and said actuating means including meanso'perable in response to lateral pivotal deflection of said advancingmember to commence movement of 'the carrier part and advancing member ina direction to force the neck between said pressure elements' 6.Apparatus as recited in'claim'l including a carrier part to which saidadvancing members mounted and movable with'the advancing member in adirection to force the neck between the 'pi-es'sur'e elements, and a connection pivotallymounting said'advan'cing member to said'cartier partforrelativ'e' lateral deflection into and out of the path of said neck,said advancing memberbeing deflectible out of said path by an advancingbag neck", and said actuatingmeans including: means, operable inresponse to lateral pivotafd'eflection of said advancing member toactuate said advancing member through a single cycle of operation toadvance one bag through the pressure elements and then stop until thenext lateral" deflection ofsaid' advancing member.

7. Apparatusas recited in claim 6 in which saidmeans' responsive tolateral deflection of said advancing them ber comprise electric switchmeans actuableby said de fle'ctionQand electrically operated controlmeans actuated" a path to have their necks gathered by said rollers, and

then advanced by said advancing member through said pressure elements.

11. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag" comprising a pairof gathering units'between which the neck of a bag may pass and'operable to gather said neckto a closed condition, a pair of pressureelerner'ts beyond said gathering units and between which said gathered neck maybe forced and'operable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten itin closed condition, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements,an advancing member movable relative to said gathering units and saidpressure elements and operable'to engage the gathered neck and force itbetween said pressure elements to apply the tape thereto, means foractuating said advancing member at a least one of said pressure elementsbeing free for lateral deflection away from the other pressure elementby said bagneck as it is forced between said pressure elements by saidadvancing member, and means yieldingly'resistingsaid deflection of saidone pressure element by the advancing bag neck and thereby tightlypressing said tape into fastening relation with the bag neck.

' 12. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 in which said gathering unitshave a pair of endlessly moving surfaces engaging opposite sides of thebag neck, there being means for driving at least one of said units toadvance said surface thereof endlessly to thereby advance the bag neckbetween said surfaces.

13. Apparatus for closing the necks of a series of flexible bags whichare carried by and are being advanced by an essentially horizontallymoving conveyor, said apparatus including a support structure, mechanism-for engaging the necksof said bags and fastening them in closedcondition, an upstanding part adjustably carrying said mechanism andadjustably mounted to said support structure, means mounting saidmechanism to said part for upward and downward adjusting movementrelative thereto to allow adjustment to the height of the conveyor andbags, and means mounting said upstanding part for swinging adjustingmovement relative to the support structure to positions of differentinclination relative there- 14. Apparatus as recited in claim 13 inwhich said upstanding part is an externally essentially cylindricalmember, and said first mounting means comprise a sleeve received'aboutsaid cylindrical member and adjustable therealong, said second mountingmeans including a plate from which said cylindrical member projectsupwardly and mounted for upward swinging movement relative to saidsupport structure to differently inclined positions.

15. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 including means mounting saidrollers for relative bodily shifting movement laterally toward and awayfrom each other, and means yieldingly urging said rollers relativelytoward one another to tightly engage a bag neck being advanced thereby.

16. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, anadvancing'member movable relative to said rollers and said pressureelements and operable to engage a neck which has been gathered by therollers and to force the neck between said pressure elements. to applythe tape thereto, means for actuating said advancing member, a carrierpart to which said advancing member is mounted and movable with theadvancing member in a direction to force the neck between the pressureelements, and a connection pivotally mounting said advancing member tosaid carrier part for relative lateral deflection into and out of thepath of said neck, said advancing member being deflectible out of saidpath by an advancing bag neck, and said actuating means including switchmeans responsive to lateral deflection of said advancing member, asolenoid actuable by said switch means, and a single cycle clutchcontrolled by said solenoid and operable upon deflection of saidadvancing member to drive said advancing member through a single cycleof operation to force one bag neck between said pressure elements andthen stop until the advancing member is deflected laterally again.

17. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of'opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elements andoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers and toforce the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tape thereto,and means for actuating said advancing mem-' her, said tape feedingmeans including means for bolding two rolls of tape and passing tapefrom the two rolls to inner sides of said two pressure elementsrespectively.

18. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition'in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elementsandoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers andto force the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tapethereto, means for actuating said advancing member, a movable structurecarrying said pressure elements and said tape feeding means, and meansmounting said structure for shifting movement relative to said rollersbetween an active position and a retracted position in which saidpressure elements and tape feeding means are accessible for initiallythreading the tape from said feeding means to said elements.

19. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elements andoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers and toforce the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tape thereto,and means for actuating said advancing member, said advancing memberbeing positioned in the path of advancement of a bag neck and beingdeflectible laterally by the bag neck, said actuating means includingmeans operable in response to said lateral deflection of the advancingmember to actuate said advancing member through a single cycle ofoperation to advance one bag between the pressure elements and then stopuntil the next lateral deflection of said advancing member.

20. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in fi'ont of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elements andoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers and toforce the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tape thereto,means for actuating said advancing member, a second pair of said neckgathering rollers spaced axially from the first pair so that the twopairs of rollers engage and gather a bag neck at two axially spacedlocations, said pressure elements being engageable with the bag neckintermediate said two roller engaged locations.

21. Apparatus as recited in claim 20, in which one of the rollers ofeach pair has a peripheral recess into which the other roller of thatpair projects.

22. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elementsandoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers andto force the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tapethereto, and means for actuating said advancing member, one of saidrollers having a peripheral recess into which the other roller projects.

23. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elements andoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers and toforce the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tape thereto,means for actuating said advancing member, a holding member overlyingportions of said rollers in closely spaced relation and forming arestricted passage between said holding member and the rollers withinwhich the upper portion of the bag material is turned generallyhorizontally to assist in supporting the bag, and means for retractingsaid holding member upwardly to free the bags in timed relation to theoperation of said advancing member.

24. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elements andoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers and toforce the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tape thereto,means for actuating said advancing member, means mounting one of saidpressure elements for swinging movement toward and away from the otherto pass a bag neck therebetween, a cutter mounted for swinging movementwith said one pressure element and for swinging movement relativethereto to out said tape,'and means for actuating said cutter.

25. Apparatus for closing the neck of a flexible bag comprising a pairof pressure elements between which a gathered bag neck may be forced andoperable to apply adhesive tape to said neck to fasten it in closedcondition, a pair of opposed rollers adapted to engage opposite sides ofan initially opened bag neck and to advance the material thereof betweenthe rollers and toward said pressure elements so that the neck isgathered to closed condition in front of the pressure elements, meansfor driving at least one of said rollers to advance and gather the bagneck, means for feeding tape to said pressure elements, an advancingmember movable relative to said rollers and said pressure elements andoperable to engage a neck which has been gathered by the rollers and toforce the neck between said pressure elements to apply the tape thereto,means for actuating said advancing member, an element engaging said bagneck upwardly beyond the roller and holding it down against the upperside of the roller, and means for actuating said last mentioned elementin timed relation to the operation of said advancing element between alowered position overlying the rollers in closely spaced relationthereto and an elevated retracted position for releasing the bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,551,525 Hamer Aug. 25, 1925 1,998,287 Pierson Aug. 16, 1935 2,787,102Krueger Apr. 2, 1957

